On a day that looked like a light slate of college football games, the ACC basically shouted out to the world, "Don't worry, bruh. We've got your back."

Bonkers games from Clemson-Pittsburgh, SMU-Boston College and Louisville-Stanford highlighted a day that didn't look like was full of marquee games.

With two showdowns between ranked opponents, the SEC took center stage. Georgia and Carson Beck regained its footing with an elite passing game to race past a Tennessee defense that had been dominant all year. South Carolina used a wild finish to beat Mizzou at home, too.

Deep into the night, the shenanigans hit fever pitch as unbeaten BYU fell for the first time at home against Kansas.

Oregon and Texas struggled mightily but pulled out wins, and this time of year, that's all that matters. Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama and Notre Dame kept rolling.

Other than the Cougars, it was a bit of a hold-serve day in college football, but it was still a lot of fun. Here are the winners and losers from Week 12.

Winner: Oregon, in a Taste of Big Ten Ball

Once upon a time, no matter how good a team was, they had an extremely difficult time going into Camp Randall for a night game against Wisconsin and winning.

Perhaps it's getting that way again in Year 2 of Luke Fickell's tenure with the Badgers. But Saturday night was more about the glitz-and-glamor pizzazz of Oregon football getting down and dirty in a rugged Big Ten battle and coming out victorious.

You knew after a sluggish start to the season gave way to the Ducks dominating everybody and beating Ohio State in a tug-of-war, there were going to be some potholes in the rough-and-tumble conference.

No. 1-ranked Oregon survived against the Badgers in a 16-13 game that would make those old-school Barry Alvarez Wisconsin teams proud.

The Ducks finally could breathe easily when Matayo Uiagalelei intercepted a late fourth-quarter pass as Wisconsin was trying to go down and pull one of the biggest upsets of the season.

On a night when Dillon Gabriel couldn't find the end zone and threw one interception and just 218 passing yards, running back Jordan James' 121 yards and a rushing score carried the day.

The Ducks defense was terrific, too, and even though it wasn't pretty, Oregon is still unbeaten. That's all that matters.

Loser: Tennessee's Vaunted Defense, Thanks to Carson Beck

What was supposed to be a memorable, draft-boosting season for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck hasn't exactly turned out that way.

With the Bulldogs' backs against a College Football Playoff wall hosting the No. 7-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and a defense that hadn't allowed an opponent to score 20 points in a game this year, Beck turned into the player we thought we'd see this season.

In doing so, he kept the Dawgs' playoff hopes alive with a 31-17 win despite their two losses, and in dealing the Vols their second setback of the season, docked them a few spots in what may be an uphill playoff battle.

In yet another heavyweight tilt, both of these teams looked like they belong in the final 12, but Beck especially can take the Bulldogs to another level if he keeps playing like this.

Simply put, Beck torched Tennessee.

He completed 25-of-40 passes for 346 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Beck found 10 different receivers on the night, delivering the ball around surgically.

You also can't discount the Dawgs' offensive line, which handled Tennessee's vaunted D-line all night. Beck was almost never pressured, didn't get sacked a single time and had time to dissect the Vols.

Tennessee couldn't find stops. Any time the Dawgs needed a play, Beck made one.

Winner: Carnell Tate's Memorable Homecoming

Football is never bigger than life, but it certainly can sometimes provide a bit of soothing ointment to a sad situation.

Hometown superstar Carnell Tate made his return to Chicago on Saturday for the Ohio State Buckeyes and had a terrific game against Northwestern at Wrigley Field in his homecoming to help his Buckeyes seize a 31-7 win.

It was also the first time Tate played in the Windy City since his mother, Ashley Griggs, was the victim of a tragic shooting in July 2023.

In what had to be an emotional return, Tate experienced one of his best games in his two years as a Buckeye, catching four passes for 52 yards. The former 5-star prospect caught a pair of scoring tosses from Will Howard to help Ohio State overcome an early hole and run away with a win.

The first of those scores was a beautiful diving grab.

It wasn't pretty early for the second-ranked Buckeyes. The Wildcats drove 11 plays and 59 yards on their first possession, chewing up 6:56 off the clock before quarterback Jack Lausch ultimately fumbled on the Buckeyes' 18-yard line, recovered by Davison Igbinosun.

Then on their next drive, they rumbled 92 yards on 13 plays and punched it in the end zone to take a 7-0 lead and in firm control more than a quarter into the game.

Howard made big plays downfield with freshman Jeremiah Smith, as always, to get OSU going, but Tate (who had his first multi-score game at Ohio State) was an electrifying talent who got in the end zone and kept the Buckeyes on a collision course with the playoffs.

Loser: BYU, for the First Time All Year

The national media have been calling BYU the "Cardiac Cougars" all year for good reason. All season, they've been seemingly living on the edge, playing tight games virtually week-in and week-out.

All the close calls finally caught up with them on Saturday.

A week after needing a controversial defensive holding call against Utah to go their way to keep an end-of-game drive going that they ultimately pushed into a go-ahead score, the Cougars couldn't make a fourth-quarter play against Kansas and lost 17-13.

The way they lost was crushing, too.

With 13:23 left in the game and up by three points, BYU forced a Kansas pooch punt from Jalon Daniels, whose punt hit Evan Johnson in the back of the helmet as he was running downfield in punt coverage.

It caromed off him, was covered by Kansas at the 4-yard line, and Devin Neal ran it in for the go-ahead score on the first play.

BYU drove it all the way down inside the Jayhawks' 20-yard line late, but on 4th-and-11, the Cougars could only move the ball 8 yards to the 8-yard line, and the Jayhawks got the massive win, keeping their bowl hopes alive (they must win out).

BYU can still win the Big 12 and make it to the College Football Playoff, but they will no longer have any hopes of running the table.

Winner: Arizona State's Miracle Worker

When Arizona State hired Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham to be their head coach before last season, the program was in shambles. The Herm Edwards regime was riddled with NCAA recruiting allegations, and the roster was decimated.

Following one 3-9 season, though, Dillingham has the Sun Devils right in the thick of the race to get to the Big 12 championship game. What he's doing in year two is nothing short of magic.

Though they're currently on the outside looking in at BYU and Colorado, there's no question they're right up there with Deion Sanders' Buffaloes for the biggest story in the league and one of the nation's top up-and-coming programs. Saturday night, they took their biggest step yet.

Star running back Cam Skattebo returned from injury, but when the Sun Devils went on the road to the "Little Apple" of Manhattan, Kansas, and beat Kansas State 24-14, it surprisingly wasn't Skattebo who was the catalyst.

Instead, young quarterback Sam Leavitt tossed three scoring passes as the Sun Devils built a 24-point lead, and the Arizona State defense was dominant, as well. Skattebo wound up with just 73 rushing yards, but it didn't matter.

By the time Avery Johnson finally found the end zone late in the third quarter, the game already was in hand. Even though the Wildcats didn't give up, the gap was too wide.

You may not be paying much attention to the Sun Devils right now, but you should be. This program is one to watch for the future, and the future may be right now. They are 8-2, and one of the losses was when Leavitt didn't play.

Loser: Anybody Expecting Colorado to Stumble

The Colorado Buffaloes may have been the FOX Network's showcase game for its Saturday "Big Noon" college football program, but it certainly wasn't noon in Boulder.

After closing out last Saturday with a late, crippling loss to BYU fueled by a controversial defensive holding that gave the Cougars second life in a game that finished early Sunday morning for most viewers, Utah traveled to play Colorado and open the day's play for the slate of games with a 10 a.m. Mountain Time kickoff.

The Utes couldn't catch the Buffaloes sleepwalking, though, losing a tough-but-thorough 49-24 contest in which Colorado pulled away late.

Even though Shedeur Sanders opened the game with an interception, Colorado's defense stood up and forced a field goal. Then, the Buffs' weapons took over.

While it wasn't ever particularly easy against the pesky Utes, the heavy offensive artillery coach Deion Sanders has stockpiled in Boulder did the job, and the unicorn that is Travis Hunter flipped the early momentum with a defensive interception to get things started.

Hunter (rightfully) gets the headlines for the Buffs, but the other pass-catchers have been surging during this recent winning streak, and they continued Saturday. Vanderbilt transfer Will Sheppard continued his hot streak with two touchdowns.

LaJohntay Wester's first-quarter punt return for a touchdown was jaw-dropping to watch, too.

With all those stars on offense, a Utah couldn't keep up as Colorado's turnaround continued scintillating the college football world.

Winner: SMU, to Stay Surging in the ACC

What a crazy day in the ACC.

After antacid-fueled sweat-fest that was the Clemson-Pittsburgh game earlier in the day and Louisville stunningly losing to Stanford, SMU had its hands full with Boston College and new starting quarterback Grayson James.

Ultimately, though, the Mustangs fought off the threat with some explosive offense and some timely defensive plays in a 38-28 win.

The Eagles have found their signal-caller in James, but he couldn't quite slay the conference's newcomer giant as SMU remains unbeaten in league play.

A very late tack-on touchdown with less than 10 seconds left made this one look much closer than it was. Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings was the best player on the field most of the day, completing 24-of-35 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns.

He's the man who makes everything tick, but he has weapons around him. Receiver Jordan Hudson had seven catches for 99 yards and was one of three Mustangs receivers to catch scoring tosses.

Miami transfer running back Brashard Smith continued to be a revelation as a portal pickup, running the ball 18 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.

They did just enough to keep from a disastrous loss that would have shaken things up in a league that looks like it's the Mustangs' for the taking.

Loser: Pittsburgh's Upset Hopes Against Clemson

Clemson's collapse was a slow, excruciating burn. Pittsburgh's answering collapse was quicker and perhaps more unexpected, though, given the circumstances of the game.

And it cost the shocked Panthers a huge win that could have shaken up the ACC.

After a horrific second half where nothing went right for the Tigers leading to Pittsburgh erasing a 10-point deficit and finally taking the lead with 1:36 remaining, a Clemson rushing offense that sputtered all day broke free.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik read the defense beautifully on a quarterback draw, racing 50 yards for the go-ahead touchdown just 20 seconds after the Pitt kick to help Clemson avoid disaster with a 24-20 road win.

Before that run, the Tigers had just five total rushing yards in the entire game, but Klubnik's jaunt capped a three-play, 75-yard drive that took just 20 seconds and put them ahead. The Panthers stormed back downfield, but backup quarterback Nate Yarnell threw a heave-and-hope interception on fourth down to end the game.

"Man," Klubnik said to ESPN with a smile after the game, "we had a little QB draw with stick routes out wide, and coach called the perfect play," recalling the play that won the Tigers the game.

Clemson reeled the entire second half, helpless to watch a 17-7 lead dissolve thanks to Yarnell's brilliant play and a terrific defensive effort that shut down Phil Mafah and the Tigers' rushing attack.

But the Tigers' defense had nine sacks of their own (four by T.J. Parker), keeping Pitt out of the end zone to allow for Klubnik's late-game heroics.

Winner: South Carolina in a Slugfest

South Carolina and Missouri went head-to-head in a heavyweight SEC game Saturday afternoon that was as good of a punch-trader as you'll see.

Somehow, the Gamecocks would not be denied at home, matching Missouri's massive late-game touchdown punch with a counterpunch of its own to win a classic, 34-30 in a game that featured five lead changes.

Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers and veteran running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders simply wouldn't be denied.

With Brady Cook back under center for Mizzou, the veteran found Luther Burden III for a long touchdown to cap an eight-play, 66-yard drive that put the Tigers ahead by three after a two-point conversion with 1:10 left.

Showing the poise of a veteran, though, Sellers responded with a six-play, 70-yard drive in just 55 seconds, and Sanders had the payoff, taking a shuffle pass and dragging defenders 15 yards for a touchdown.

Jalen Kilgore intercepted Cook's last hope, and the Gamecocks continued looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the country, and they will keep moving up the rankings.

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz talked about playoffs in last week's postgame speech to television reporters, but he can forget that now. On the other sideline, Shane Beamer thrust both hands in the air when Kilgore's pick was confirmed.

Loser: LSU's Unraveling

LSU is no longer a part of the national picture, and the Bayou Bengals are just trying to keep from tumbling off the national spectrum altogether.

It's not going to be easy the way they're playing.

After getting embarrassed in back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, coach Brian Kelly's team traveled to the Swamp on Saturday to face a Gators team getting back star freshman DJ Lagway.

The Tigers got pushed all over the field in what ultimately became a 27-16 loss, and a team that had playoff hopes just a little more than a week ago has now dropped three consecutive games and fallen to 3-3 in SEC play. They won't be ranked now.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier's uneven play continued, but in the loss to the Gators, last year's culprit—demoralizing defense—continued to rear its ugly head yet again, as has been the case in this latest slide.

After trimming Florida's lead to just four, LSU had a major defensive breakdown as Gators freshman running back Jadan Baugh made one move in the hole and sprinted 55 yards for a touchdown and some wiggle room with 3:48 remaining to seal the win.

On the flipside, the Lagway-Baugh combo looks like exciting building blocks for Florida as the Billy Napier future of the program continues on life support. The win was huge for the Gators, who now must win just one of the next two (against Ole Miss and Florida State) to get bowl-eligible.

LSU keeps searching for answers.

Winner: Texas, Devoid of Style Points

The third-ranked Texas Longhorns traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in a more-dangerous-than-you-may-think showdown Saturday.

Just ask Tennessee, which went to the same place earlier this season and lost to the Razorbacks.

The Longhorns had to sweat until late in the game, but they ultimately walked away from Razorbacks Stadium with a 20-10 win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes climbing in the right direction.

The Hogs actually had the football in the fourth quarter trailing by less than a touchdown but could only muster a field goal. But an eight-play, 75-yard drive orchestrated by quarterback Quinn Ewers, running back Jaydon Blue and receiver Matthew Golden answered the drive and provided the breathing room.

Ewers' fourth-down keeper late in the game allowed the 'Horns to run out the clock and go into survive-and-advance mode with remaining games against Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Golden had a pair of touchdown grabs, and even though Ewers wasn't great, he did enough. Texas' defense was great, however.

Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's unit was dominant, forcing two Arkansas turnovers, and getting some terrific performances from true freshman linebacker Colin Simmons (two sacks) and lineman Alfred Collins (a sack and a forced fumble) to help carry Texas to a win.

Loser: Navy's Offense vs. Tulane

The narrative entering Saturday's pivotal AAC matchup between Tulane and Navy was that the Green Wave's defense may not be built to stop the Midshipmen triple-option.

Yes, a hot Tulane team was favored, but Blake Horvath and Navy was going to keep it close.

That never materialized.

Horvath left the game early with back spasms, popped in the injury tent, came back out and hopped on the exercise bike to work it out and ultimately re-entered the game. By then, though, it was too late.

The Green Wave had a perfect game plan and executed it brilliantly in a 35-0 shutout win. Backup Navy signal-caller Braxton Woodson couldn't do anything while he was in the game, and Tulane's terrific defense allowed its explosive offense to make enough plays to pull away.

This was Navy's third loss in four games and dropped the Midshipmen from the running to be in the AAC title game. Instead, Tulane secured its spot to face Army, and that will be another huge game.

It's also going to be a tall task again for Tulane to stop the triple-option, something coach Jon Sumrall told the ESPN2 crew his Green Wave has been practicing on Mondays throughout the season to prepare for the potential of facing Navy and Army.

They passed the first big test with flying colors, allowing just eight first downs, one third-down conversion (in 11 tries) and 113 total yards in their first shutout of an FBS opponent since 1997.

Winner: The Riley Leonard Experiment in South Bend

The blue-and-gold blueprint for Notre Dame since Marcus Freeman has gotten his program going has been to hit the transfer portal for a veteran quarterback to keep the Fighting Irish playing at a high level until a home-grown player is ready at the position.

Last year, Sam Hartman's one-year tenure in South Bend had mixed reviews after a brilliant career at Wake Forest. Earlier this season, it looked like the latest foray into the ACC for a quarterback would produce similar results.

But Riley Leonard is bucking the trend.

After a less-than-stellar start to the season in a grinding win at Texas A&M followed by a historic loss to Northern Illinois, Leonard has seemingly improved every single week.

The senior from Alabama who previously played at Duke and had to shake off the rust from a season-ending injury last year is playing at an extremely high level at the precipice of a playoff run for the Irish.

In a potentially sneaky-tough game on Saturday against Virginia, he made certain there wouldn't be any worries with a sterling first half that was nearly perfect as the Irish built a four-touchdown lead on the way to a 35-14 win.

Leonard finished 22-of-33 for 214 yards and a trio of touchdowns and added 32 rushing yards while Jeremiyah Love helped salt away the game in a meaningless second half with 137 rushing yards and a pair of scores.

Notre Dame is cruising behind its veteran quarterback.

Loser: Louisville's Upset Hangover

Oh no, Louisville—not this way. Not against an ACC cellar-dweller that had been left-for-dead in its first year in the league.

After looking like they'd regained the form that had them in the conference title game a year ago following an upset of Clemson a couple weeks ago after a solid win over Boston College, Louisville came off its bye week and looked flat-out flat. It showed in a shocking last-second loss to Stanford, 38-35.

The Cardinals fell behind by 10 points early and seemed to regain its composure, only to fall apart in the fourth quarter, allowing 17 points to get beat in Palo Alto. But the meltdown was of epic proportions.

They turned the ball over on downs, were flagged for a late hit that helped the Cardinal advance the ball downfield, then as Stanford lined up for a 57-yard field goal, Louisville jumped offsides.

Stanford got another last-second try from Emmet Kinney from 52 yards, and he nailed it for the win. Hard to believe a gag of this proportion, even if the personal foul call was extremely cheap.

The win was Stanford's first-ever ACC win at home, but the story is coach Jeff Brohm's Cardinals' undisciplined gaffe to close the game that should have gone to overtime.

Winner: Demond Williams Jr. in Washington

There hasn't been a whole lot for which to cheer in Seattle this season as first-year coach Jedd Fisch has run across some rocky roads in building his program at a place that finished national runner-up a season ago.

But true freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is showing the Washington Huskies' future is in very good hands—and scintillating feet.

The 5'11", 187-pound dual-threat dynamo from Arizona followed Fisch when he left his home-state Wildcats for Washington, and they're certainly glad he did. The past couple of weeks, he's gotten more and more reps, and on Friday night against UCLA, he busted out.

The Huskies won 31-19 to get bowl-eligible, and Williams was the primary cog, leading three second-half scoring drives after Rogers threw a pair of picks. Williams helped turn a four-point halftime lead into a comfortable cruise.

Veteran Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers has been the starter for the entire season, but that should change. The future is now for Williams and the Huskies as he's proving he's the biggest threat who can transform the program.

In relief of Rogers, Williams was nearly perfect, completing 7-of-8 passes for 67 yards and a scoring toss. He also added 31 rushing yards on six carries and kept the ball in his capable hands along with running back Jonah Coleman (95 yards, two scores) to hold off a UCLA team that had been playing much better of late.

Loser: San Jose State's Plan to Stop Ashton Jeanty

With all the buzz surrounding Colorado's Travis Hunter, it's going to be hard for anybody to overtake him for the Heisman Trophy lead this late in the season.

But you shouldn't forget about Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

In a battle against San Jose State that featured two of the best Group of Five players in the nation in Jeanty and Spartans wide receiver Nick Nash, SJSU won't soon forget Jeanty.

Even though they were keyed on him throughout, Jeanty still found a way to grind out three touchdown runs to help the Broncos erase a two-touchdown lead and wound up walking away with a 42-21 win.

No. 13-ranked Boise is still the favorite to be the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff, though nothing was easy against San Jose State. Jeanty's late fourth-quarter scoring run finally gave them the breathing room they needed.

The Spartans were right in the mix all night thanks to a big night from quarterback Walker Eget, who had 446 passing yards, including 172 going to Justin Lockhart and 126 more going to the talented Nash, the nation's leading pass-catcher.

In the end, though, Jeanty and the Boise offense were just too much. They are still trending toward the Mountain West Conference championship game, and the playoffs may not be far behind.

Jeanty will be in New York for the Heisman ceremony, too.